D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital is making plans as it works toward an expansion project.

The hospital recently received approval from the planning commission to turn three vacant lots on Belleville Avenue and Edgewood Drive into a parking lot. The issue will now go before the Brewton City Council after a public hearing on Oct. 14.

Brewton community development director Steve Yuhasz said the hospital is already zoned as B2, and the new lots, if approved by the city council, would also be rezoned as B2.

Last year, hospital officials announced plans to build a bigger, improved emergency room, the centerpiece of a $7.5 million renovation project. The renovation will also include two new surgical suites and an ER waiting area.

Hospital adminsistrator Chris Grifin said he expects work to begin on the renovations later this year. The expanded emergency room will help the hospital, which serves about 14,000 ER patients each year, better serve the area, Griffin said. As much as 80 percent of patient admissions come through the emergency room.